A surprising fashion item is coming back in style and can be seen on the runways of London, Milan and Paris. It’s also been spotted on the necks of celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez and India Arie. There are many ways of wearing a square scarf, including the traditional one of the Ukrainian Babushka, tied at the chin. This is the retro look that has been featured in Vogue and one that’s useful for keeping the hair in place whilst being driven in an open topped convertible. If like me, you are still waiting for that opportunity, a sculptural tie under the chin is a lovely alternative These two scarves were painted on Habotai silk and cost 28.00. They measure approx. 90 x 90 cms. They are not in my shop – contact me to buy.
Welcome to my site where you will find unique hand painted and dyed silk scarves and ties. I also feature original textile art and art prints.
You may be looking for a gift for someone special, or a treat for yourself. My scarves and ties are vibrant, eye catching and affordable. I paint on high quality silks with the best steam fixable French dyes. Each season I study fashion colours to match my scarves to the current trends, so you can confidently accessorize. Of course, my ties don’t follow current trends, but dare to be different and you will stand out from the crowd! My unique ties are often purchased for special occasions such as weddings.
There is nothing like the warmth of pure silk around the neck in winter, and in summer my lightweight scarves can bring a cosy touch to a cool day and glamorize any outfit.
You may also enjoy browsing my textile art and reading about my process. There are links to my shop where you will find all my products, including fine art prints.
I also work in other media and this can be viewed on my instagram – @barbarameynellart
Shibori is a Japanese word for a technique in which fabric is shaped, bound and dyed. Some may call it tie dye, but it is a far more sophisticated technique of resist dyeing.. My art lies somewhere between the two as I would never have the patience for controlling the pattern as it’s done in Japan. My work is still carefully planned but also sometimes unpredictable.
I begin with folding the blank twill scarves in half, so that each end will be symmetrical. From there I fold lengthwise and into triangular shapes. There are many ways to fold but I’ve found that the triangles contrast well with later horizontal patterns. After clamping and dyeing the completed triangle, there’s a lot of white in evidence, but it will get coloured with dye at the next stage. I first iron and then refold in the same way but this time into a long silk strip. This is wound carefully around a tube. Whilst beach combing in Angelsey, Wales I came across a strong plastic tube that has been very useful for this technique. I have other assorted PVC pipes, tubes and C clamps.. After dyeing, I may unfold, iron and repeat to achieve more depth of colour. When satisfied with the patterning, I lay the ironed scarves flat on plain newsprint ready for rolling around a metal pole and placing in the steamer. These don’t need as long in the steamer as the batik scarves. I have a video about steaming the batik silk scarves on my YouTube channel.
I’ve just taken some new scarves to my main outlet, a gift shop in Southport (UK). After experimenting with different ways of folding and dyeing to create patterns on the silk, I came up with a two step process using shibori techniques. A short clip of the second step can be viewed on my Instagram. I’m painting on twill silk, a heavier weight that takes the dye beautifully and is less slippy on clothes than crepe de chine. I only have a fair idea of how the patterns will look when the scarf is unwrapped from its folds or unrolled from around the tube.